Ottawa okays plan to hire international midwives

Nunavut wants to recruit midwives for Rankin Inlet, Cambridge Bay

NUNATSIAQ NEWS

International midwives may soon be delivering babies in Nunavut as well as providing care to pregnant women and new mothers and infants.

Ottawa said Oct. 26 that it wants to make make it easier for internationally-trained midwives to practice in Nunavut, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Northwest Territories and Nova Scotia.

The “Multi-jurisdictional Midwifery Bridging Program” will receive $355,717 for a project to produce “a streamlined approach to assessing the education and work experience of internationally-trained midwives.”

The project will also help internationally-trained midwives into jobs so that they can practice in Canada.

The project addressses the “maternity primary health care provider crisis in Canada” and recognizes and uses the skills and expertise of immigrants, said Jelena Putnik, the program’s interim director, in a news release.

Job postings on the website of the Canadian Association of Midwives shows Nunavut is looking for a manager of its maternal and newborn services to be based out of Rankin Inlet.

Nunavut also says it’s seeking registered midwives to work on a casual basis at either one of the two birthing centres in Nunavut to provide “comprehensive midwifery care to women, babies and families in either Cambridge Bay or Rankin Inlet.”